The president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Félix Tshisekedi, has called for the Lobito Corridor to be transformed into "a concrete instrument of African integration, economic sovereignty and lasting improvement in the living conditions of our populations".
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Angolan counterpart João Lourenço, Tshisekedi made the remarks after the two leaders witnessed the signing of a railway concession agreement for the corridor's Congolese section, according to ANGOP.
The agreement, signed between the DRC and Portuguese construction firm Mota-Engil Africa, covers the Dilolo-Sakania railway line — roughly 1,004.5 km of track serving the mining, industrial and agricultural heartland around Kolwezi, Tenke and Lubumbashi.
The project is expected to mobilize an indicative investment of nearly $1.258 billion, allocated to feasibility studies, rehabilitation, modernization, extension, operation and maintenance over a 30-year operating period, at the end of which the infrastructure will be transferred back to the Congolese state.
Tshisekedi stressed that the deal does not privatize the National Railways Company of the Congo (SNCC) nor create a railway monopoly. The line will remain open to qualified operators under transparent, fair and non-discriminatory conditions, while the SNCC retains exclusive rights to passenger transport and continues to exercise its freight rights.
Lourenço's visit, which included a private bilateral meeting and a sectoral session with both delegations, formed part of broader efforts to strengthen regional cooperation.
Known internationally as the "route of two oceans" for connecting the Atlantic and Indian oceans, the Lobito Corridor extends 1,344 km from the Atlantic port of Lobito to the border town of Luau, crossing five Angolan provinces.
The Lobito Corridor is a major economic route connecting the port of Lobito in Angola to the Katanga province in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Copperbelt in Zambia. As the first open-access transcontinental rail link in Africa, it has the potential to unlock the region's enormous economic potential, increase export opportunities, and promote regional integration.
Angola regards it as a key priority under its 2023-2027 National Development Plan, and the route has established itself as a principal alternative export path for the landlocked mining regions of the DRC and Zambia, which are rich in copper, cobalt, manganese and rare earths essential to the global energy transition, according to a World Bank analysis.
By reducing freight transit time from the DRC and Zambia to the sea from over a month to about a week, the corridor is transforming how goods move across central and southern Africa, opening markets for farmers and businesses while lowering carbon emissions. It also aligns with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by creating opportunities for local processing of natural resources and greater value addition.
Meanwhile, the Angolan government is advancing the corridor's Strategic Environmental Assessment of its Master Plan — a World Bank-financed initiative — through public consultations in the five provinces along the route, seeking to reconcile trade expansion and private investment with environmental and social sustainability standards.
